"Never get behind old people," advises corporate downsizing expert and travel veteran Ryan Bingham (Mr George Clooney) to his colleague as they stand in line at airport security in the 2009 movie Up in the Air. "Their bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left." The secret to a seamless security passage, he goes on to explain, is getting behind someone who really knows what they are doing.

For men whose work entails travelling day in, day out, the manner in which they dress and pack can mean the difference between a smooth, hassle-free trip from home to hotel or one riddled with frustrations; forgotten essentials, security searches and embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions once they reach their destination.

"I tend to forget cufflinks," says headhunter Mr Seamus Hoar who regularly travels the globe sourcing top-notch legal executives for large firms. "This can cause a few headaches when it comes to dressing at the other side. There is definitely an art to packing, but I'm yet to perfect it. Even after years of travel, I'm still learning."

Here, three men who travel all over the globe via planes, trains and automobiles, tell us the way they approach the task of packing and the things they just couldn't travel without.